Catching Up

Catching up here as there's been a whole lot happening but not a lot to show for it. Doncha just hate that? You work your fanny off but when you step back and look at the source of your sweat, the only thing you feel is frustration. Grrr.
Anyhoo, you might have noticed my progress bars to the right are all wonky. Well, it's not the bars - it's the projects. Let's see...the Baby Blanket is done but I haven't gifted it to the new Mama and Baby yet so it's still on the list. The Hemp/Cashmere Beret for my DD is truely the Project from Hell. Cast on 4 times, frogged 4 times. Made it up to 5 rows and it sucks. I hate the yarn. The pattern is blech. At times I've got all 5 DPN's fumbling in my fingers. Grrr all over. And then there's the Moebius Cowl. It's 99.9 percent done - but - it's wrong. Too long, too narrow and not quite enough yarn to finish casting off. More Grrr. I'm going to frog the whole mess (that poor yarn - this makes the 5th time it's been knitted then frogged out), then I'll cast on with a co-ordinating yarn, do a few rows with that, do the bulk of the cowl in that yummy and durable stuff then do the I-cord cast off in the previously used starting yarn. I'll make it about a third smaller and it should be about right for me. Whew.
As far as news in other areas, this shows the giant brush pile I faced to dig up my latest treasure and to tidy that portion of the driveway. I've made huge progress - can even hitch up "the treasure" and tow it out in the open now if I want. I've got several rows of seasoned wood I found under the brush and have had a few nicely warming fires in the wood stove this past week. There's a neat stack of twigs drying that will be broken into stove-sized lengths for kindling and a bunch of bigger stuff that I'll need to use the saw on. I even found a few dozen fence posts! The Old Man is right this moment bringing home some wood to add to the project but I'll try to get a pic here soon. It's so nice to actually see a before and after of things.
Knitting news is not good, I'm afraid. My Ravelry invite is coming closer - maybe even this week. So up the stairs I went - camera in hand - to start the fun but daunting process of photographing all of my yarn and fiber stash. Problem? I'm baby-sitting my daughter's cat, who came here with fleas and decided to force her way into the fiber room. I now have a full-fledged infestation! I'm massively bummed as all - ALL - of my yarn is up there (plus a hundred pounds or more of fiber) and with the other projects on hold or done, I can't get to any of it to start anything! I've got the room sealed up, a fogger went off earlier today and I'm still using the powdered Borax everywhere upstairs. Sigh. I guess I've got it easy since tomorrow the perpetrator of this horrible crime gets a bath. Gasp. (Have you ever bathed a Siamese? The thought makes me shudder).
So, how was your week?

Apple Pie and Crust Recipe

Canning at the "Done" stage
Originally uploaded by vykky3630

There's lots more to be done but so far, we have a couple dozen jars of blackberry jam, some low-sugar preserves and apple-pie-in-a-jar. In a couple of days, there will be another wave of these huge Himilayan blackberries ripe so I'll be doing more preserves then. I prefer the preserves over the jam since I use half the sugar and no pectin. (Can't you hear all my diabetic friends applauding?!?)
The Apple-Pie-in-a-jar bakes up so well in my "Nanny's Wonderful Pastry". As a heavier crust, it is perfect for heavy fruit pies, like apple, as well as for quiche and meat pies. Just make sure you have waxed paper on hand before making it as you will NOT be able to roll it out on a floured board. (Trust me on this - I've tried too many times.)
Nanny's Wonderful Pastry
(Double for a 2 crust with left-overs for turn-overs)
2 cups flour
1/2 cup salad oil
1/4 cup cold milk (whole is best)
salt - dash
Mix and roll between 2 sheets of waxed paper.
Can bake at 400 til set then reduce to 350.
Experience Tips: Make the double batch. Use the waxed paper. For use with the apple pie; bake 15 minutes at 425 to set then reduce to 350 for 45 minutes. This will allow you to bake any meat or whatever for dinner while saving time and electric.

Apple Pie in a jar Recipe

Canning at the "Doing" stage
Originally uploaded by vykky3630

Canning leftovers include jars that didn't seal which are immediately made up into fresh apple pies! And yes, I make a hell of a mess when I can...don't you?
Apple Pie in-a-jar Recipe (Makes about 7 quarts)
28 cups home-grown (free is best!) apples; sliced and peeled
1/2 tsp nutmeg
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup cornstarch
10 cups water
2-3 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp lemon juice
Pack the apple slices fairly tightly into hot quart jars. Make a syrup from the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and water. (You can also "show the bowl" some All-Spice, if desired). Cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Add lemon juice, fill jars leaving about 1/2 inch space. Seal and process in boiling water bath for 20 minutes.
Use 2 quarts for a deep dish pan or 1 1/2 for a lower rimmed pan. Use balance of 2nd quart on waffles or ice cream. Yum!
Stats per the recipe...
Servings per recipe: 16
Calories per serving: 378
Total fat: 0.8 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 151 mg
Total Carbs: 97.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 6.1 g
Protein: 0.5 g
Experience Tips: I use about half of the syrup called for so as to sharply reduce the amount of sugar/carbs. I also can get away with using only 2/3 cup of cornstarch and 1/2 tsp salt too. Lemon juice is dashed over the apple slices while tossing into a bowl for prep (which takes 2 - 2 1/2 hours) so I re-use the lemon juice from the bottom of the bowl in the syrup recipe.
"Apple canned anything" is a whole lot of labor with little return so it is surely a labor of love. Make it worth your time by making a fresh pie for a loved one while your last batch is in the canning kettle. Use left-overs in a smaller "personal" pie for that man who is always snacking. And grow your own organic apples or make the day of that old farmer down the road...take him a jar already done and ask to pick his apples. Chances are, many of us have an elder farmer nearby who's wife has either passed on or is too old to do much baking. They both will enjoy the gift and you get free smiles and apples too.

Bad Blogger Repentance

I am a Bad Blogger. And yes, I feel that should be in caps as a "title" of sorts. I really need to get myself into a more regular blogging schedule of any kind, huh. Oh well, at least while I've not been blogging, I've been busy doing other stuff. Like...spending far too much time at the L&V Daily Chum. Along with my morning coffee and usually with the Freaky Kitty on my lap, I sip and click and waste half the morning seeing what's new and fun in the fiber world. I have also been canning up blackberry jam and preserves (which all came out better than I expected) and Apple Pie in-a-jar (some of which needed a second round through processing and some which never did seal up right. Grrr but not a problem as I'll just bake a pie this afternoon). I've learned that it takes about an episode and a half of the L&V ladies' podcast to wash, cut, peel and slice the 28 cups of apples for a single batch of 7 quart jars for the A P i-a-j recipe. (In case you're wondering - and I know you are - that's about a 5 gallon bucket of home-grown apples). I've also made some soap - glad I noticed we were down to just one bar - and have been out in the garden some too. The zucs are just now starting to really kick into gear so my battle with our infamous huge slugs has also kicked in.
I've knit very little in the past week...only on a couple of take-along projects and not much at that. I really do need to figure out how to make-do with less sleep so I can knit more. And why do I need to knit more? Because I've been a very naughty girl. With my fav LYS going out of business, I've been dropping in every 4 or 5 days and watching the "I won't go any more than 35% off" swoop down to 60% off on everything in the shop. I've managed to control myself by mainly filling out the gaps in my needle size inventory but have also succumbed to the temptation of a wee bit of yarn. Not much but enough to feel guilty over. You see, it all started when I got anal about checking my status with Ravelry. They are still in Beta mode and I love their html choice for the "where am I on the list" site...it's called "antsy". How cute is that and true too. I have 8296 people ahead of me on the list but I'm ahead of 9135 other antsy folk. There are currently 17932 fibery knitting people on their waiting and hoping list. Did you ever think there might be that many knitting people in the world?!? But, back to how this all started...they are all about organizing and sharing knitting around the world. Sooo...one must be ready and organized with inventories and photos and lists and patterns and more when one receives one's invitation. Well, I went stash rootin' and discovered that I was down to only one grocery sack of real stash. One. Grocery sack. How sad for me, right? But, being on a yarn diet, I had to think long and hard and came up with this theory: I am only allowed to buy myself yarn that is either on sale, from a yard/estate sale or otherwise deeply discounted in some way. ( I have done phenomonly well on this self-imposed diet and only broke it once - in a little tiny way - when doing a yarn shop review that I later shared on the Lime 'N' Violet Message Board. That was the pattern and single skein of Galway Paint that the 4 little felted bootie/slippers were crafted of....does it count since I got 4 botties out of it?) However...confession time...I do have a couple of bags of yarn hidden around the downstairs and have slipped a few (OK, many), sets of new needles into the needle case and buried that packaging in the recycle bin. Good thing the Old Man doesn't read this blog, huh. (Guilty giggle here). I'll make it up by baking that apple pie later on. Hmmm...might even surprise him with french vanilla ice cream as a topper too. Yeah, that'll work.
See? It's not about guilt...it's about justification. Of which, I am "the Queen".
OK...two more 5 gallon buckets of apples waiting for their turn under the knife, the bearded dragon habitat needs cleaning (Giz says Please!), if it's not gonna rain again, I should wash the car, must take pics to put here - these posts are boring without any eye candy...and oh, I'm sure I'll think of more that needs doing.

A Day Off. (If I remember How!)

Alrighty then...the son has graduated and is off to a dual-parent supervised party, has his new cell phone to call with if he needs to (and he has once before - a very cool thing), my Man works for another hour or two and I'm ignoring the "travel trailer from Hell". I'm actually going to take a day off! Well, LOL, not a whole day as it's nearly evening but hey, a night off is progress for me!
I'm not going to work on any of my OCD-driven projects...none of the "have to do's" will be done. I'm going to make a quick run to the store then it's back home, into comfy sweats and I'm gonna play with fiber!!!
I haven't decided whether I'm going to bring the spinning wheel into the living room or surround myself on the floor with buffalo fluff to pick and fondle or maybe just drag in some llama fleece and sort some of that. Heck, I might just sort and card some angora with that Romney I have ready to go and do some up on my favorite drop spindle.
I am gonna do whatever I want to do tonight! Neener Neener!
Ahhhhh. Vykky Time.
All the more special when it's been awhile.
What's that beer commercial? Oh yeah....Because I'm worth it.
Or maybe that was a hair color ad....hmmm...

Better Late Than Never

I promise I'll get into a regular posting routine here...honest. It's just that there's been so much going on. From the BF blowing out his back, the Landlords from Hell, the Crazy Neighbors X 2, the BF's back surgery and, oh yes...my baby girl got engaged! We're looking at August 11 for the wedding. Am I really old enough to have a child of marrying age?!? I guess so. Sigh. Well, it's a good thing that I only feel that old just every now and then, huh.
What with all that's been going on, I've still been planting seeds, sorting and washing fiber, spindling a wee bit and not knitting much at all. The Shawl That Doesn't End hasn't. But I did manage to crank out some simple dishcloths and polishing towels for the church kitchen and have baked a heck of a lot of my Magic Cookies (recipe upon request). As far as chasing Spring, I've gotten 5 dozen seedlings started for the gardens. Yes, plural. Not only will I continue with the Bucket Brigade from last year but will also borrow a friend's rototiller and help Heather; the Chicken Lady as well as Sandy and Steve get their plots going with space as my reward. After all, bucket-grown zuchinni only produces 1 or 2 fruits a season and that's not enough for me!
OK...have been uploading pics while doing this entry...should have more to show for my time upon my return.

The First Word I Learned

It may have been "Momma" but I think it was "Why". So here's the "Why" of "why am I creating a Blog?"
Now that I'm learning how to spin my own yarn, I have so much to learn and need to be able to show those kind enough to help me learn what my mistakes are. That and, I'll enjoy venting some, bragging a little and just plain sharing more than you probably want to know.
I'll dive right into that whole "TMI" thing (Too Much Information) and share a bit about myself.
Born and raised in a Central-Coastal California city, I joined the Coast Guard and found myself playing in the snow in the middle of Boot Camp. A short career ending in an Honorable Discharge and all of a sudden I'm married to a Coastie and moving every 2, 3 or 4 years. Up and down the Eastern Seaboard from Maryland to the US Virgin Islands. My daughter was born in St. Thomas, USVI and is eligible to become Mayor of the island just by her birth there.
Many years, 1 divorce and lots of gardening and rescued animals later and I'm a "not married but we call each other husband and wife" sort of gal back on the West Coast. I have my comfortable little cottage where my 4 cats allow me to live, year-round gardening, fiber art exploration and smiling at eagles. It doesn't get much better than this.
Now that I've got some photos uploaded, I'll introduce you to some of my family, hobbies and even share my learning curve in spinning.